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Remember the old saying??...

Use the word three times in a sentence and it's yours.

Maybe.

"Nitrogen is an element needed by all living plants and animals to build protein."

If I took away your nitrogen supply all hell would break loose. You'd turn into a protein-less body of slime and slowly melt in one big pile of smelly flesh.

Good grief!! That sounds absolutely awful.

"In aquatic ecosystems, nitrogen is present in many forms. Blue-green algae are able to use nitrogen in its molecular form, N2, and convert it into forms of nitrogen that plants can take up through their roots and use for growth: ammonia, NH3, and nitrate, NO3."

Those hobbyists who are about to give up the hobby because their tanks are loaded with all type of algae may already know the process.

It's a process that's been going on for eons. Wild animals like ducks, geese, fish, etc., are constantly dumping nutrients into the ecosystems.

If you were taking your tank water direct from these sources you'd be in real big trouble.

How many times do we see requests by new FP members and sometimes older members, to help them eradicate all forms of algae??

To eliminate something you have to understand the underlying cause of the problem. It's not easy to remove something from our tanks that's had a six or seven million year head start on us.

Well, that's where the "word" comes in:

"Because nitrogen, in the form of ammonia and nitrates, acts as a plant nutrient, it also causes "eutrophication." "

"Eutrophication promotes more plant growth and decay which in turn increases biochemical oxygen demand."

Wait a minute. We were talking NO3.

Nitrates in excess amounts can have a significant impact on water quality.

And therein lies the many questions from so many new FP members.

NEXT: Are nitrates total waste??

--garyroland.

--Vero Beach, Florida.

Last edited by garyroland at 14-Oct-2004 16:13

lovin' it, Gary. Keep up the good work!

HAHA!

You have too much time on your hands mate.

-- Gomer